sworm09
This is something that I've been meaning to discuss for a long, long time here. I have to get the opinions and insights of others on this. Hopefully everyone knows that the fundamental difference between the RWS and the Thoth is that Waite hides....nearly everything...and Crowley puts everything out there. When I first began studying the RWS I was convinced that Mr.Waite just threw the public a bone to let us "think" that we were doing Tarot.
A few months later, after studying the Tree of Life and little more, learning more about Astrology, and reading Golden Dawn texts, it becomes clear that Arthur Waite hid about 90% of the deck's meaning behind the pictures. He didn't mean the pictures to be an end to themselves, but as a "tip off".
I want to know, what subtle veils or outright misinformation have you noticed in the RWS? My favorite to talk about is the Two of Swords. I've seen all kinds of intuitive readings on this card meaning "being stuck" or "blocking emotions" which is ok for intuitive readings, but Waite himself said that it was a "suggestion of harmony" and "concord in a state of arms". The image on the card is truly baffling if you don't know what you're looking at i.e. the still waters in the background, the woman herself being similar to Justice (Libra) and the Moon in the background pointing to the Moon ruling this card.
What other ones have you all noticed? I think it's very interesting and a little frustrating what Waite has done here.
A few months later, after studying the Tree of Life and little more, learning more about Astrology, and reading Golden Dawn texts, it becomes clear that Arthur Waite hid about 90% of the deck's meaning behind the pictures. He didn't mean the pictures to be an end to themselves, but as a "tip off".
I want to know, what subtle veils or outright misinformation have you noticed in the RWS? My favorite to talk about is the Two of Swords. I've seen all kinds of intuitive readings on this card meaning "being stuck" or "blocking emotions" which is ok for intuitive readings, but Waite himself said that it was a "suggestion of harmony" and "concord in a state of arms". The image on the card is truly baffling if you don't know what you're looking at i.e. the still waters in the background, the woman herself being similar to Justice (Libra) and the Moon in the background pointing to the Moon ruling this card.
What other ones have you all noticed? I think it's very interesting and a little frustrating what Waite has done here.